Scientists in Japan discovered 10 years ago that gold displays fantastic catalytic abilities when it is shrunk to 3 to 5 nm in size. If the gold
particles are any bigger or smaller than this, the element resumes its inertness.
One such reaction is the conversion of carbon-monoxide (CO) to carbon-dioxide (CO2). Nanogold catalyzes this at room temperature and with 100-percent
efficiency. A potential application is to aid firefighters, who now wear protective masks containing copper-manganese-oxide. That material's
effectiveness at getting rid of CO, however, lasts only 15 minutes, while nanogold protects for several hours.
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